Page 272 - How to Create a Winning Organization

Wooden on Leadership
254
A GOOD FACILITY IMPROVES EFFICIENCY
By 1967, UCLA’s modern basketball facility, Pauley Pavilion, had
been in use for one year, and it allowed my practices to reach a
much higher level of efficiency and effectiveness.
You see some evidence of that in these suggestions—reminders to
myself—for 1966–1967, specifically, number 3: “Shooting” (free
throws).
Previously, our teams practiced at the Men’s Gym, with all its
limitations, including just two baskets. With Pauley Pavilion’s ex-
panded facilities—including six baskets (more were available)—
I was able to conduct drills and scrimmages while simultaneously
having pairs of players isolated on other baskets practicing free
throws.
In fact, even then I doubled up on baskets and had one pair of
players shooting free throws while another pair practiced shots
from the outside perimeter. While players shot free throws, a
manager would record the percentage of shots that were
successful.
Even with all the backboards and baskets available at Pauley
Pavilion, I rarely assigned one player to a basket. Basketball is a
team sport, and I felt it was unwise to allow players to practice by
themselves. Always I wanted them to be interacting with their
teammates.
You’ll also see in my notes a reminder that players be on the
court for practice no later that 3:15 p.m. A relatively unsuper-
vised warmup occurred between 3:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. I had
noticed players take advantage of that situation to some degree
by arriving later and later. I wanted to correct this tendency in
the coming season. The warmup was important. Everything was
important.